- Up next on "Borealis."

(exciting music) Come along as I join an all-women expedition in the Grand Lake Stream area.

- It's just a different perspective to experience the world from the water.

- [Aislinn] We head north to get a sneak preview of the new Katahdin Woods and Waters contact station.

And we learn why it's such a unique building.

- [Brian] What you have in this building is that deeper story, the deeper meaning of these places.

- [Aislinn] Then, we get back on the water with a group of intrepid volunteers as they help the Main Island Trails stay trash free.

- That's really such a joy and a privilege to get to be out here doing this.

So, the more people we can share that with, the better.

- And back on dry land.

(jackhammer buzzing) I get to try my hand at rock hounding in Western Maine.

(jackhammer buzzing) Stay with us.

- [Announcer 1] Production support for "Borealis" is provided by.

(inspiring music) (bike spokes buzzing) (inspiring music continues) - [Announcer 2] At Poland Spring, we've called Maine home since 1845 and are proud to be part of the community, over the past two decades, investing over 14 and a half million dollars in the place that we call home.

Poland Spring, Maine's spring water, The Nature Conservancy in Maine.

Joining science, action, and innovative partners to help connect communities and address the global climate crisis.

From our forests to our rivers to the Gulf of Maine.

Learn more at nature.org/joinmaine.

- [Narrator] And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

- You guys ready to hike?

(fun music) ♪ Wanna get lost in the wilderness with you darling ♪ ♪ Wanna get lost in the rivers end ♪ ♪ Get you up on the mountain star (indistinct) ♪ (fun music ending) - Welcome to "Borealis."

I'm Aislinn Sarnacki, and right now we're standing on an overlook at Tekakapimek contact station.

The new visitor center for Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

Tekakapimek is a Penobscot word, meaning as far as one can see.

As we look out over the mountains and lakes and rivers of this region.

Just imagine, not too long ago people used to travel this land primarily by canoe.

For our first story, we're headed east of here to the Grand Lake Stream area where I learned some traditional canoe camping skills with a group of women on a trip that lasted five days and five nights.

(upbeat music) (water trickling) Deep in the wilderness of Eastern Maine, a group of women travel by canoe.

They're boats stuffed with gear.

They're navigating through a series of lakes on a five day trip.

It's a journey through the Grand Lake Stream area and in many ways, it's also a journey back in time.

- Our guide service, I would say, is known more to be a traditional guide service 'cause we like to cook and bake over the fire.

We make our own wood canvas canoes and paddles and do a lot of polling, which is kind of a dying art, but you know, navigating the river being shallow and in around rapids.

We just believe in that.

It's been, you know, a main tradition we handed down from Native Americans.

We just like to keep that alive.

- [Aislinn] A recipient of the legendary Maine Guide Award, Polly Mahoney has led trips for over 30 years.

She often works closely with the Penobscot Nation to share traditional outdoor skills and knowledge.

For this particular trip, she teamed up with Jennifer Neptune, a Penobscot guide who she's worked with many times before.

- Everybody has skills and has knowledge and if you don't share it, it just sits inside you.

But if you share it with another, like it could open up a whole world for them.

It could open up guiding, it should bring people into the outdoors or it could lead them somewhere else important.

And so as a Penobscot person, tradition only lasts if you share it.

- We're in the lei of these islands, but then we're gonna have a crossing to the mainland.

It's gonna be very windy.

- You wanna be going into the wave, either straight on or at a slight angle.

If you start feeling like it's tippy, just kneel.

A lot of times, like on the first day, people are nervous or they're not sure they can do it.

So to see people build their confidence is great.

- Yeah, a lot of new skills, especially Polly teaching us knots and map skills and paddling skills.

All kinds of new skills that I wasn't really even thinking about when I signed up for the trip.

And I have really enjoyed that aspect of it.

(saw scraping wood) Using the two man saw took a little bit of getting used to, but I feel like we got into a good groove.

- [Aislinn] Some trip attendees have more outdoor experience than others.

Michelle Holmes, for example, has done plenty of canoeing and camping before.

- When you float a canoe on the water, there's no trace.

You know, you've left no impact.

I like that you're not carrying the stuff on your back.

It's just a different perspective to experience the world from the water.

- [Aislinn] Jackie Starr, a coworker of Holmes, agreed to join her on the trip, even though she's never done anything like it before.

- I would never have thought to go on a paddling and camping trip.

It would never have the occurred me.

She said it and my first thought was, "Well that's interesting, why would I do that?"

And then I couldn't stop thinking it and was debating and thinking about how I could learn a new skill.

And I really wanted to spend time camping and learning more about camping.

And then I asked my 14-year-old child if they wanted to join me on this trip.

And when they said yes, that sealed the deal for sure.

- [Aislinn] Good food is a key component of any traditional guided canoe trip in Maine.

Cooking over an open flame with cast iron pots and reflector ovens.

The guides offer a varied menu and everyone chips in.

- The meals have been wonderful, and the thing that's my favorite are the trip so far.

- [Aislinn] Spending multiple days in the wilderness through sunny days and rain with no cell phone service is a great way to become immersed in nature.

During their time on shore, Jennifer leads walks to share her knowledge about native plants.

- Some people chew it and swallow it, some people chew it and spit it out once they get all the flavor out of it.

It's strong.

- Awesome.

- Yeah.

- Get up and leave.

- So it's like, want to nibble on when you're like, hiking and not stopping.

It feels good to bring people out into like, the place that we think of as home.

And it's been our home for thousands of years, and I love being out here and I like to share that.

(peaceful music) (distant chattering) (spoon scraping) - There have been so many amazing moments.

Silent canoeing through that passage with the rocks and leans and turns, and seeing the mountains approaching these different shades of green and gray in the distance with mist everywhere, that was beautiful.

- [Aislinn] Each year, Mahoosuc Guide Service offers a handful of women's only trips.

- I really like seeing women in the outdoors being strong.

I mean, we can do most things that men can do, except we don't always have the strength, so we have to sometimes adjust because of that.

(water trickling) Women's trips are my favorite for all the comradery and support that goes on.

People trying the new things.

- Giving people the opportunity to get out into some remote places that they haven't experienced before, changes people and changes people's attitude about nature and about wild places.

It makes them more comfortable and more likely to wanna keep it that way.

Unless people care about these places that we love, they are not gonna be here in the future.

- A big thanks to guides Polly and Jennifer for a wonderful trip.

And fun fact, the artwork over the fireplace behind me is actually the work of Jennifer Neptune.

She also served as a lead exhibit writer for this place.

(inspirational music) (inspirational music continues) Here inside, in addition to beautiful artwork, there are exhibits that celebrate the land and its people, the Wabanaki.

I'm here with Brian Henrichs, executive director of Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters.

- Hey, Aislinn!

- Hey!

I am curious.

This building is so beautiful.

I've never seen anything like it, the way it flows, the giant windows, what went into the design and who was a part of that process?

- So it was a truly collaborative process.

This landscape became a national monument in 2016.

President Obama named in the proclamation that this is the present and traditional homeland of the Penobscot Nation and a sacred space for all Wabanaki Nations.

The waterways, the landscape.

This has been land that's been stewarded for nearly 11,000 years.

Fast forward, we are welcoming and orienting visitors to this new national monument and wanting to do so in a way that really captures the whole story.

So LH Oil Foundation, Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters, the National Park Service, we gathered a Wabanaki advisory board with representatives from each of the Wabanaki Nations to put everybody's heads together, work with the design team at Saunders Architecture and Osberg Parker and tell this full story and bring it to life for visitors.

- So there's all these little details throughout, which you might miss on first glance as you're distracted by all the artwork.

But right here at our feet, we have this river.

Can you tell me about this?

I didn't notice this the first time I walked through.

- Yeah, it's incredible.

You know, so visitors are often walking around, scanning the floor here.

This piece of artwork depicts the entire Penobscot River Watershed from St. Croix down to Penobscot Bay.

This is based on a hand drawn map by James Eric Francis, Senior of the Penobscot Nation.

An incredible historian and artist.

So it's really an act of love, both for, I think this collaboration, but for the river so much about Katahdin woods and waters stems from the east branch of the Penobscot River.

And in this space you can learn about life on the river, how to read a river if you're paddling, some of the history that goes into that.

And yeah, you can pick yourself out on the map here.

You know, we're walking down the river right now.

- Yeah, and there's the place names that are Wabanaki place names.

- Yep.

- [Aislinn] And even drawings by Jennifer Neptune as well.

- [Brian] Yeah, the ported symbols along the way.

So it has that level of detail and it's a really incredible feature of the building.

- Coming in here, I feel like I'm learning so much about the people of this land and it's really impactful to me.

And why was that an important aspect of this visitor center?

- Yeah, I think it speaks to our hope for how this land is managed going forward.

So this is a relatively new unit of the National Park Service and coast stewardship is a really increasingly important and valuable lens for management of these places, both in Maine and throughout the nation.

And what you have in this building is that deeper story, the deeper meaning of these places and why they have importance to the Penobscot Nation and all the Wabanaki Nations we now call Maine.

And so, it's about how we care for the land in the future, so that this might inspire you to look at this land and appreciate it in a new way.

And that was really important for us to instill that in visitors.

So you come here and then you get inspired both to protect this place into the future and also go experience it.

- Well thank you so much for not only coming out here today, but unlocking the gate so that we could get inside.

When is this building open to the public full time?

- Absolutely.

So this building is a gift to the National Park Service.

It will be managed and operated by the Park Service for its future and summer 2025.

That's when you can come here, get your passport stamped, meet a ranger, learn about this place, and get ready for your next adventure in Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

(peaceful music) - For our next story, we are headed to the main coast, home to more than 4,600 islands.

And we're gonna learn about a group that works tirelessly to keep those islands beautiful and open to the public.

(gentle music) - Thank you all so much for coming.

We'll get gathered up and go over the game plan for today.

I'm Maria, I'm the Midcoast Regional Stewardship Manager that I've been communicating with all of you for the cleanup.

Thanks for coming out.

MITA is the Main Island Trail Association and we manage the Main Island Trail, a water trail that spans the entire coast.

So basically a series of islands that are open for boaters to use, kind of like the Appalachian Trail for boaters.

The Main Island Trail Association doesn't own any properties, it's all just handshake agreements with island owners who allow people to come visit their islands with the expectation that those islands are cared for.

(exciting music) The mission of MITA is really to care for the trail and advance access and stewardship of the trail.

Today we have our fall Deer Isle cleanup.

So we're at Nasca Point in Brooklyn and we have five boats and about 25 volunteers getting ready to head out and clean the shorelines of a number of the islands in the region.

By taking care of the islands, we're ensuring that they will be available for future people to access and enjoy.

(distant chattering) (boat motors humming) It is very unique.

You could go the entire length of the coast of Maine by boat with places to stop at on the way.

Some people do that.

Many people choose to just go out for a day trip or a few nights at a time.

Camping is allowed on many of the islands, all boater types.

People who will cruise the coast and drop an anchor and row into the islands, people who will paddle out to the islands.

There's just endless ways that you can explore the Main Island Trail.

(boat motor humming) As one of our volunteers put it, we provide the dots, you connect them.

So it's kind of a choose your own adventure type experience.

(anchor clicking) The mission of MITA is so unique in that it's a handshake model that people are allowed to go and use these places.

And so, caring for them is really essential for the access.

So we hold large scale cleanups every spring and fall, and then we have other workdays and stewardship projects that are ongoing.

So we have about a thousand people who volunteer with the Main Island Trail every year.

(exciting music continues) I'll stick one of these in my pocket.

Yeah, you can start with one.

(water splashing) (exciting music continues) (trash bag crinkling) It is a big project to organize these cleanup days and working with the volunteers is just the most wonderful part.

And we often have very long wait lists for our cleanups.

- [Participant] Now this is what we were finding a lot of.

- [Maria] The cleanups can be hard work.

They are also just a lot of fun and it can be chilly, especially a day like today.

But people are always out there with smiles on their faces.

- It's my first cleanup.

I'm super excited to be here.

An incredible group of people.

We landed on a beautiful day and it couldn't be more magical.

- We've never explored this area, so thought we would make a weekend out of it and do the cleanup today and then paddle around the beautiful islands.

- It's a different kind of fun.

You feel a lot of accomplishment that okay, you and whoever you work with got this done.

When we fill a 10 yard dumpster, okay, we've got a lot of trash off those islands and that's a good thing.

(buoys clacking) - [Kayla] The volunteer part is important to me.

I want other people to be able to use this space years from now.

I want to preserve these beautiful lands that I love.

Coming out here and seeing trash, it's kind of heartbreaking.

So, to get out here and give back while getting to enjoy the beautiful day, you know, that's what it's about.

- [Ben] What's most exciting to me about MITA and its mission is certainly those handshake agreements and those relationships we have with landowners, but also connecting those people who love the Maine Coast and the Wild Islands of Maine to an opportunity to contribute, to give back, to share the experience of coming out here and developing our own sense of wonder, as we do exactly that, fulfill those commitments we have to the landowners who make it possible.

- [Assistant] We have a full-time staff of 10, but it's really the members and the volunteers that make the Main Island Trail community what it is.

(boat motor humming) (water splashing) The monitor skippers are not only driving for every cleanup and workday, but throughout the entire season, they're ones checking on the islands and engaging with island visitors, picking up trash, dismantling fire rings, and really, they're our biggest presence on the islands as far as monitoring and taking care of the places.

- I'm a volunteer monitor skipper.

It's interesting to visit different places and I have the ability and experience running the boats.

All in all, it's a great thing to do.

Cleanups usually fill up with volunteers quite quickly, because people know how much fun it is to go pick up trash on an island.

(boat motor humming) - [Maria] I've worked with MITA for 12 years and really the islands are spectacular places, but it's the people that make it what it is and the volunteers I get to work with and the connections and relationships.

That's really been the most meaningful part of my work with MITA.

- How'd you do?

- Awesome!

- [Maria] The Main Island trail continues to grow and as islands get added to the trail, we'll continue to do our best to steward them and we'll continue to do all we can to provide access and bring volunteers out to help care for these places.

(trash flopping) It's really such a joy and a privilege to get to be out here doing this.

So, the more people we can share that with, the better.

(geese honking) - MITA is always looking for volunteers for these cleanups.

So, if you're interested, visit mita.org.

(gentle music) (hammer tapping) (metal clanging) Every Sunday, Al Falster searches for treasure, chipping away rock to unearth sparkling gems and rare minerals.

- The miners tool is a hammer and a gad.

And this symbol, you look at my at maps means a miner.

- [Aislinn] At Emmons Quarry in Greenwood, he works from sunrise to sunset year round, often joined by friends.

- [Al] Doug finds all kinds of good stuff.

- Does he?

- He has a good eye.

(machine buzzing) If you spend the time and keep working methodically, you will find something.

- You gotta move rock.

- You gotta move rock.

(leaves crunching) - [Aislinn] Falster is a mineralogist and has identified 228 different mineral species from this one quarry alone.

- And here's a rare one.

This is bournonite, there are only about 12 locations in the world.

That was found right down where Doug is working.

- Have you found anything here that hasn't been found anywhere else?

- Yes, we have found a new mineral up here, that mineral is called tantalowodginite.

(drill buzzing) Want to give it a whack?

- Sure.

Either one works?

(hammer tapping) - Sounds different, doesn't it?

- Yeah.

(drill buzzing) So weird when you can look through a rock.

- To me, there's no greater satisfaction to open up a couple more doors.

And once we do that and discover stuff behind this door we just opened, there are 10 more doors.

They are just beckoning to be opened.

- [Aislinn] Falster works at Bethel's Maine Mineral and Gem Museum, which first opened its doors in 2019.

In a state-of-the-art lab, he inspects minerals while visitors explore exhibits nearby.

- So, we have the largest collection of Maine minerals on display anywhere.

And the minerals speak for themselves.

The beauty, the intrigue, what we really try to do is people the museum, and that we really try to get into the history behind those pieces, because that's a story that's sometimes more interesting than the specimens themselves.

- Really remember this.

- Oh yeah, yeah.

So you're kind of coming in.

These are like the big gem materials that you find in the state of Maine, or at least the most popular, you know, amethyst, which is a variety of quartz.

And then aquamarine, that's the variety of beryl.

Tourmaline's the state mineral, most commonly in reds and greens.

And then smokey quartz of course.

This is one of my favorites.

I have many favorites.

This is a topaz crystal, and this is arguably one of the nicest and largest intact topaz crystals to ever come outta North America.

- [Aislinn] These beautiful gems are found in a type of igneous rock called granitic pegmatite.

Throughout the rock, miners search for cavities, empty spaces where a variety of crystals can grow.

- Where to find pegmatites in the state of Maine.

All here in the western part.

And we're in Bethel, we're right here.

And so we're, you know, pretty much in the heart of things in terms of pegmatites in the state of Maine, though there are many along the coast and some further up near, in Warren.

- [Aislinn] Maine has a rich mining history.

At Mount Micah in Paris, Maine in 1820, miners discovered the first tourmaline gem in North America.

And a Newry in 1972, miners found the largest single discovery of tourmaline in the country.

Over a ton of tourmaline crystals.

- This kind of sparked like a renaissance of mineral collecting in the state of Maine.

It's Maine minerals, A to Z, and so it showcases over 100 different species of minerals found in the state of Maine.

- [Aislinn] The museum inspires many people to get outside and find some of Maine's beautiful crystals for themselves.

There's a community of people in the state who consider themselves recreational miners or rock hounders.

- Well, there's like this kind of like thrill of the chase, right?

That people get and they're like, awe, wow, I really want to get out and find something.

'Cause you know, when you find something, and I've had it too, you know, like where I'm digging through a mine pile and I'm like, oh wow, look at that, a tourmaline or a really cool (indistinct).

I'm like, oh!

You're like, maybe there's more.

- Yeah.

- You know?

And like, that's really interesting and it's fun.

- [Aislinn] A number of old mines are open for the public to try their hand at mining with hand tools, including Mount Appetite Town Park in Auburn and Harvard Quarry in Greenwood.

But if you really wanna get into the hobby, Felch suggests joining one of the state's many mineral clubs.

Often clubs gain access to dig sites that aren't open to the general public.

Emmon's Quarry where Falster works, welcomes clubs and visitors by permission.

- [Al] And here's again, the core quartz.

- That's big shore.

- Big shore, yep.

- I'm learning.

I'm learning things.

(Aislinn laughing) - You can just drill a hole right there.

- There?

- Hold on tight and use the other hand for that.

- And then I just press?

- No, don't press.

(drill buzzing) - [Aislinn] While some rock hounders use drills and feathers and wedges, even explosives with proper certification, others simply use hammers and pick axes or dig through mine pilings with their hands.

- Everyone loves hitting things with hammers, especially when sometimes the things you hit pop out sparkly junk, sparkly, colorful.

You can't not love a rock, even if you're not a scientist.

Rocks are just inherently cool.

- [Aislinn] Natalie Tolls, who also works at the museum, often joins Falster on Sundays at the quarry.

- You have geochemistry, geobiology, geophysics.

There's rocks in space.

There's rocks on earth.

There's rocks in everything.

There's rocks in you.

So, yeah.

- It's true, I guess.

- Yeah.

- I never thought about that.

That's very cool.

- Humans are nothing but overgrown children.

What do children do?

They play, they experiment.

A scientist in particular is nothing but an overgrown child.

And I would never want to change.

I don't want to grow up.

I want to stay that way.

Finding new things, seeing things I haven't seen before or anybody hasn't seen before.

To me, there is no end.

There's no end to, there's no reason to stop.

(peaceful music) - If you would like to go recreational mining, one of the best ways is to join one of the many rock hounding clubs throughout the state.

If you miss an episode of "Borealis" or just wanna rewatch one of your favorite segments, head on over to our YouTube page.

You'll find full episodes, individual stories, and bonus content that you won't find anywhere else.

Watch "Borealis" anytime, anywhere on YouTube.

Next time on "Borealis."

(inspiring music) One man's hobby turns out to be a helpful tool for Maine's state biologists.

We explore the world of underwater drones.

(camera shuttering) Maine is an amazing place to take photos.

We tag along with wildlife photographer Laura Zamfirescu as she pursues her next big shot.

And come stargazing with us and learn why it's so important to preserve Maine's night skies for future generations.

Thanks for watching, and until next time, get out there and enjoy the outdoors.

(gentle music) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues)